


The Tunnel of Love

by mydogwatson



Series: The Postcard Tales [14]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Marriage Proposal, candyfloss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 11:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5125613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydogwatson/pseuds/mydogwatson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A case takes Sherlock somewhere he has never been before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tunnel of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Again, Sunday seems to call for fluff. And this is pretty darn fluffy. I do not apologise.

The expression on Sherlock’s face was unprecedented. And John Watson had made an extensive study of the many expressions that crossed his flatmate’s face. A secret study, of course, with the results carefully tucked away in a corner of his memory, from which he could retrieve them as wanted. Most often they were wanted in the darkest hours of the night when John was alone in his bed and wishing that were not the case.

Months ago, he had accepted that he was helplessly and hopelessly in love with his mercurial friend. He could live with that, at least as long as Sherlock never knew.

But, anyway, this expression was not one John had ever seen before. If he’d thought it would have been possible to escape with life and limbs intact, he would have taken out his phone and snapped a picture. “Let me guess,” he said instead. “You’ve never been to a fun fair before, have you?”

Sherlock still seemed horrified by the crowd they were fighting their way through, most of which seemed to be eating or drinking or shrieking. Sometimes all three at once. Gangs of adolescents charged between the stalls, while nearby the various amusement rides all had long and noisy queues. “Why would I have been?” he muttered, barely escaping an enormous pink cloud of candyfloss that seemed determined to attach itself to his coat.

“For fun?” John said, immediately realising the absurdity of that remark. He smiled. “Well, anyway, now there’s a murder and you’ll enjoy that, right?” When had that become a perfectly reasonable thing to say, he wondered, but then decided that it didn’t matter.

Sherlock brightened just a fraction. “Hurry up, then, John, before the local idiots destroy all the evidence.”

They were looking for the crime scene tape and Sherlock spied it first, leading the way past a stall offering deep-fried, well, everything it seemed. Then the detective came to a stop. He plucked at John’s sleeve. “John,” he said in a hoarse whisper, “what is that?”

John followed his gaze to the building in question, which was all red and pink neon, with an enormous flashing heart over the entrance. “It appears to be the crime scene,” he said, gesturing at the three patrol cars and crowd of police officers in evidence. Not to mention the meters of yellow tape.

“Obviously,” Sherlock snapped. “But what is a Tunnel of Love?”

John managed not to laugh, although it was a near run thing. He had promised to never again to mock Sherlock for his genuine inability to understand the vagaries of human nature. It seemed a good thing to do for the man one [secretly] loved. “Well,” he said, “a couple gets into one of those little cars and they ride through the dark. Sometimes there is romantic music or maybe scary scenes so the girl will jump into his arms. Silly, really. Mostly it’s just a chance for a good snog.”

Sherlock blinked at him for a moment, but before either of them could speak, a man in a bad suit came over. “You Holmes?” he said.

“Clearly,” Sherlock said in a dry voice. “And because you are the police, I suppose you have stupidly already moved the bodies?”

“Well, yes. Had to, really.”

Sherlock’s sneer said it all. He looked at John for a moment thoughtfully, although John had no idea what he was thinking about. Then he nodded once, sharply. “Dr Watson and I will need to take a ride through in one of those ridiculous vehicles,” he said.

Now it was John who blinked. But it made sense, he supposed, for Sherlock to see for himself what the experience was like. They settled into one particularly vivid fuchsia car and somebody hit the switch.

Soon after the darkness enveloped them, Sherlock spoke, his mouth closer to John’s ear than expected. “When do we start snogging?” he asked.

John thought at first that the words were only in his own imagination; Sherlock must have said something else entirely. “What?” he said.

“The snogging,” Sherlock said impatiently. “Can we start that now?”

John Watson took just a moment to collect himself and then moved his head until his lips touched Sherlock’s. It was better than imagined. Much better.

\---  
One year later the fun fair was back. Sherlock insisted they travel out to Dagenham and pay a return visit. John, bemused, agreed. Once there, they shared a candyfloss [with Sherlock complaining loudly about the stickiness, but still managing to eat more than his share]. As soon as they were done with that, he ordered John into the Tunnel of Love. He even managed to grab the same fuchsia car from a couple of giggling teens and they rode jerkily into the darkness. 

Where Sherlock proposed. And then they snogged.

*

**Author's Note:**

> Title from: The Tunnel of Love by Peter De Vries


End file.
